It’s
time to start practicing your sweet air-guitar moves—Southern
rock band the Outlaws are back, and they’re going to invade
the Capital Region. Three of the band’s surviving originals
(out of about 14 different members) will be present, including
Hughie Thomasson—the one member to actually stay throughout
the entire tenure of the Outlaws. The seven-piece band are
returning to memorialize the band’s first LP released in 1975,
as the first rock band signed to Arista under Clive Davis.
The bulk of the set list is to be from the first three albums,
so get ready for a night of rockin’ ’70s revivals. (Oct.
21, 7:30 PM, $20, 1208 Route 156, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

The
Strawbs

Sunday,
Caffe Lena

They
were a staple in folk-pop in the 1960s, spinning elaborately
epic songs from their humble West London beginnings, then
out into the great beyond. Their songs have offered comfort
to easygoing folksters and have received nods from politically
minded hipsters as well, and nearly 25 years after their initial
“breakup,” the three remaining members still draw crowds.
However, the souls of David Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Brian
Willoughby have been soothed since the days of perpetual touring,
when they entertained fans in every city from Middlesex, England,
to Toronto. Today the trio have relinquished all things electric
and now only strum acoustic, and their wizened vocals support
their ageless lyrics with authenticity recognizable in such
greats as Bob Dylan and Bonnie Raitt. From bluegrass to folk
to progressive rock, the Strawbs are true connoisseurs of
music, relying on their endless love of performance and their
expansive fan base to nurture their talent. (Oct. 23, 7
PM, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, $20-22, 583 0022)

Broken
Social Scene

Pearl
Street, Sunday

Though
trying to revolutionize pop music may seem a lofty, even pretentious,
goal, Toronto-based Broken Social Scene wholeheartedly took
on the challenge with the release of their debut album Feel
Good Lost in 2001. The heartbeat of the Scene lies within
Kevin Drew of KC Accidental and Brendan Canning of Do Make
Say Think and Cookie Duster, who combined their talents for
the sake of the revolution. The group since have evolved into
a rotating collective of musicians who released Forgot
It in People in 2003 to rave reviews. This weekend, the
band will bring their soundscapes to Northampton when they
play Pearl Street. (Oct. 23, 8:30 PM, $20, 10 Pearl St.,
Northampton, Mass., 413-584-7771)

kenny
rogers

Kristi
Yamaguchi & Friends, featuring Kenny Rogers

Pepsi
Arena, Tuesday

OK,
most of you are already picturing a bunch of figure skaters
in cowboy hats circling a dais, making exaggerated “know when
to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em”-type hand gestures. But
we hear rumors that Kenny’s busting out some of his experimental
stuff on this tour with former Olympians Scott Hamilton, Kurt
Browning, et al. He’s gonna perform a 40-minute theremin piece
from a free-jazz concept record he’s working on called Lazy
Whirlwind Inversion Chamber, then he and Ekaterina Gordeeva
are gonna share vocals covering the entire first side of X’s
Los Angeles. All right, absolutely none of that is
true. It’s probably gonna be the skaters in the hats. (Oct.
25, 7 PM, $35-$55, 51 S. Pearl St., Albany, 476-1000)

Ween

Northern
Lights, Tuesday

Look,
we’d never go so far as to actually advise that anyone abuse
inhalants. It’s a very, very dangerous thing to do. So, we’re
not going to make any comments at all along the lines of “Mmmm,
there’s nothing like the piquant—almost citrusy—burn of a
well-aged single-malt Scotchgard.” That’d be completely irresponsible—in
any context other than a plug for a sold-out Ween concert.
Yes, Gene and Dean are returning; and, yes, it’s sold out.
So, you can go mill around the Northern Lights parking lot
and hope that some ticket holder passes out in his van full
of nitrous balloons, freeing up a ticket; or you can sit around
your house listening to The Pod and Pure Guava
while hungrily eyeing the contents of the cupboard beneath
the sink. You make the call. (Oct. 25, 7:30 PM, $25, 1208
Route 146, Clifton Park, 371-0012)

Also
Noted

The
Happy Hollisters aren’t so happy as Hollisters
anymore, or so it seems—they will perform their
last show as such at Valentine’s tomorrow (Friday)
night (9 PM, $5, 432-6572). . . .

Saratoga Springs-via-Brooklyn group Grand Habit
will perform at King’s Tavern tomorrow night.
We think you should check them out, since Metroland’s
own David Greenberger has called them “undeniably
propulsive”; Multiple Cyclops will open
(9 PM, $5, 584-9643). . . . On Saturday, the City
of Troy will hold a double-stage benefit in conjunction
with the River Street Beat Shop to help out the
victims of Hurricane Katrina. Performers will
be Rosanne Raneri, Frank Jacklitch,
Good Earth, McMahon Jones Blue Grass
Jam, MichaelEck, the Chris’s,
Rob Beauleau and Friends, WhiteStar Line, Wide Awake, Matt Durfee,
Casey J. Chapman, My Last Sunrise,
Method of Productive Means, Corona of
the Sun, Maurizio, and Human X.
There will be raffles throughout the day to
help raise funds for the cause (10 AM, 270-4554,
470-3023). . . . The Bitches (Nancy
Timpanaro-Hogan, Nate Buccieri and
Ward Dales) are back this weekend for another
run of their popular cabaret act at a different
venue: This time, the Bitches “Do” the Beatles
at Savannah’s in downtown Albany. The first show
is Saturday; for more dates, keep checking these
pages. Reservations are required (7:30 PM, $25,
664-5244). . . . Speaking of bitches, Four
Bitchin’ Babes will take the stage at the
Egg in Empire State Plaza on Sunday as they celebrate
being women through comedy and music (7 PM, $22,
473-1061).